Building inspection (pre-purchase) useful?

I always thought that an inspector just come to look for the obvious, any buyers with some knowledge in building and construction can probably spot the issues that stand out themselves .

Anything that is hidden, covered, inaccessible, well an inspector isn't going to look through them anyway.

So, what value does a building inspection report add? If the inspection missed something obvious, and you later found out yourself, can you ask for compensation?

 

I just figure that if I'm paying hundreds of thousands for a property it usually makes sense to spend a little on a building report so it reduces my chances of buying a lemon.

Last year I had a building report find a LOT of issues in a property we almost spent $1m on - if we had of proceeded with the purchase we could have been up for massive repair costs :-( We dodged a bullet because of that report. The inspector was extremely thorough.

Cheers

Jamie

 

It's worth it in my opinion. Their reports are detailed if you find a qualified building inspector.

The point of the report is that you walk in eyes open and have some idea of what you are buying. It's always a risk to purchase property and would be foolish to suggest otherwise.

 

Unless you plan to knock it down it's probably a good idea.

 

It's good to have someone else to blame if something goes wrong.

 

Hey Pete,

Well mate there are a couple of things here. Firstly it is the checks of the property to confirm there are no major issues you may have missed (if you are doing it yourself). Case in point, I had a building and pest (B&P) done a couple of weeks ago that identified a structural defect; one of the joists was rotting out, a major defect; leaking plumbing in the roof space, and also a safety defect; safety rails on a balcony at incorrect heights.

On top of this, a good inspector is going to do things you might not do. Did you try on and check every air con unit? lock and unlock every window? check all the tiles to see if they are drummy?

They are little things, but you might buy the house and realise there are several windows that are locked, but don't have keys. It all adds up.

Especially if you have some major issues, and lots of little issues.

So to begin with, you know what you are walking into. You can ask the inspector to estimate costs for repairs, just ballpark, typically at no extra charge. At least you have an idea what it may cost to get those major items fixed.

To me a B&P isn't about telling me the house is 'worn' or the paint job is average, it is about big issues, potential termite/pest problems, and peace of mind.

And your inspector will get into the roof, will crawl around, will get dirty. I always am at the property when they do the inspection, because you can ask them questions (don't get in their way) and they'll be a little more liberal in their thoughts compared to what they write down.

And don't forget, if you have some issues you can point to in the B&P report, you can use it to renegotiate the purchase price, or ask the vendor to fix them. In the case above, I asked for about $12,000 off the PP, citing repairs, time, effort to fix the issues identified.

B&P costs about $550, not bad for a, what, $500,000 investment? So 0.1% of the cost on checks and balances?

My 2 cents.

Stannis

 

Actually this is what I try to understand.

Say the inspector missed water stain marks on wall, no let's say on the ceiling so he can't blame the furniture, and gives you a report stating no signs of leakage.

Then one sunny day you lookup the ceiling and saw marks up there. Now what? Can you demand the inspector to pay/fix the problem?

If not, the report is essentially useless.

If yes, it's not going to be easy is it?

 

If negligence or breach of contract, yes. How easy or hard will depend on what it is.

 

Thank you, as long as it’s not just a refund of the inspection fee.

 

By the way, their insurance pay for negligence matters right? Assuming that they must be insured?

 

Last time I read a termite inspection it said none were noted but no guarantee termites weren't there at a deeper level. The next level of termite inspection cost more.

Read terms of your building inspection. I doubt you would have any recourse unless in was major and obvious and they missed it, even then I don't like your chances.

Like most things forum advice is some random on the internet. For legal advice consult with a lawyer

 

Depends on what and their policy but generally would

 

A while ago we discovered an outdoor electrical socket that was chewed up by the dog and it was not noted on the report. It’s not something we would specially look for but only took notice when we wanted to use that socket.

I expect that’s something a building inspector should pickup, but obviously he missed. The socket was replaced and we did not pursue such a minor matter.

 

Can anyone please suggest a good pre purchase(BnP) inspection company or inspector around Sydney??

 

Hi Jamie, Who did you use for the pre-purchase inspection Canberra ? Could you please share the contact details.